Swans seek ruling on holding the ball

Every weekend AFL fans yell out "ball!" to try to convince the umpire to pay a free
kick to their team, but Sydney coach Paul Roos says he never knows which way the
decision is going to go.
Roos said on Thursday the AFL needed to spend the post-season reviewing the rule and
shedding some light on what players can expect in certain situations, because at the
moment they just don't know.
"When your most experienced player comes up to you and asks you to clarify the
holding-the-ball rule with the umpires, it's a reasonable indication the players are
confused," Roos told reporters at the SCG on Thursday ahead of Sydney's clash with
Collingwood at ANZ Stadium on Saturday.
"We haven't had a chance (this week) to speak to the umpires. It's something that
needs to be sorted out post-season.
"I don't think it's going to change between now and the end of the year."
Roos says he senses rival coaches such as Adelaide's Neil Craig and other key
figures within the game are thinking along the same lines.
"It certainly seems like there's a bit more of a groundswell for (let's) tidy it
up," Roos said.
"The fans are confused, certainly the players are confused, the coaches are
confused, so something certainly needs to be done about it."
Roos, Sydney's 2005 premiership coach who is stepping down from the role at the end
of the 2010 season, says he struggles to make sense of decisions even at junior
level.
"Sometimes it's holding the ball, sometimes it's a ball up, so just the whole area
seems, I couldn't tell you what the rule is," Roos continued.
"I just don't think anyone in the industry is really clear on what the rule is.
"I don't even know what the rule is when I watch junior footy now."
Sydney co-captain Brett Kirk said on Thursday he was equally puzzled.
"I guess there has been a fair bit of talk about it," he said.
"Hopefully we'll get a fair bit more consistency out of it and we'll know exactly
where it sits."